About

RickB- Human, Artist, Fool.

Ynys Mon, UK.

The blog is called ten percent because of what Kurt Vonnegut wrote when remembering Susan Sontag - She was asked what she had learned from the Holocaust, and she said that 10 percent of any population is cruel, no matter what, and that 10 percent is merciful, no matter what, and that the remaining 80 percent could be moved in either direction.-

And I'm writing it because I need the therapy and I lust for world domination.

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5 Months of Theatre

4 January, 2010 — RickB

As per the weather my connection is faltering so who knows if this gets posted… how thrilling we have 5 months of election pantomime as none of the three parties are significantly deviating from neoliberalism and them and the media have all agreed there must be cuts so orthodox economics that created the problems remains the only religion in town… this is at best an exercise in damage limitation. The Tories and their US borrowed deficit mantra will be vicious and evil, so will New Labour and the LibDems will if they sniff power, it is lesser evilism and please don’t expect me to get excited by it. Given the atrocious possibilities probably what might turn out best is a Labour hold but with no real majority so they have to rely on the LD’s, not because either offer real governence for the people but because left at the wheel on their own they are unconscionable shits. For those on good incomes none make much difference so that’s why the pundit/wonk class in all media (blogs included) can get excited about the small differences, they will not get the sharp end, for those on low incomes and those on welfare or subsidised by it they will be attacked brutally whoever wins, the difference is Tories do it with huge sincere hate filled smiles on their faces and New Labour hide those smiles slightly out of politeness to their abused base.

Harpy is right the priority should be ensure actual leftwing MP’s win-

The most important task for the Left in the upcoming GE is to make sure that the proven socialist MP’s such as John McDonnell, Jeremy Corbyn and Katy Clark remain a voice in Parliament.

Other than that, well for Wales if the Tories win it’s shit both ways, more devolution will make the Tories shit all over Wales in spite, less, and the Tories have power to shit all over Wales more directly, given the options if Cameron is PM I’d like Wales to be less connected to England (although Plaid is subtly split between conservatives and lefties, and the nationalists with conservative ideas worry me). I am on a low income and at times have to rely on welfare so I am simply engaged in survivalism as no party is interested in my continuing to breathe oxygen. I know an eliminationist vibe when I feel it and frankly all of them give the impression they would not mind a few million poor people ceasing to live. In that respect thirty years of neoliberalism have done its cultural job, poverty is because you are a morally bad person, so waste no thoughts on such failures, social darwinism and eugenics are implicit in how the institutions actually work (as opposed to the shiny stated functions) ask a migrant, ask a single parent, ask someone who is despised for surviving on £50 a week, and argue all you like how one party is not really like that but I don’t care what is said, I care about what actually happens and what has happened is thirty years of hate directed at the poorest by the wealthiest. So enjoy your wonky pundit shenanigans, forgive me for not getting excited by the colour of poison chalice I will be handed, I’m thinking about the poison.

PS. And not forgetting in the MP’s/prospective MP’s worth supporting, the great Salma Yaqoob.

No public, all private for party political activities, so yes it is dominated by and for the rich, once the unions didn’t defund New Labour even when it attacked them broke the last scintilla of control the people might have had. So support individuals and maybe that raises the progressive left’s profile within party machinery, it’s like triage to survive the corporate onslaught.

Ah, funny you should mention that, am percolating a post about how what happens is they take your money then it’s business as usual because of the party establishment who hate actual democracy but love money and the appearance of mass support. As long as some have more money to spend than others the parties will defer to the big guns, so yes public funding (via progressive and inclusive taxation, no tax avoidance!) and the corresponding demand for transparent and better politicians is the way to go. The current model will only end in a corporate police state it seems.

I’m amazed that this election is even in doubt. Anybody who is in receipt of tax credits (and that’s most of us) should stay away from Cameron like Dracula from a stake. The turkey does not vote for christmas. But in Britain the poor might vote to impoverish themselves further.

I’m amazed that this election can even be in doubt. For all those on tax credits (and that’s most of us) why vote to impoverish yourself further. And yet, this is what many many media commenters assume a considerable section of the working class will do. Cameron rides with a cutting agenda; more than the other dross and the `recession` gives him all the excuses he needs.

And what of this slowdown. Perhaps its just me but there seems to be an awful lot of money being spent in the Curry’s and so on of this world. Cars have been queing to get into my local retail park. So there is money about. Unless its all on tick.

They do politics like a casino, they offer the chance of great wealth and do not point out the reality that it hides us all getting taken.

I do hope people are not extending their debt to buy stuff, because sooner or later the iniquitous credit laws the banks got passed in the US will appear here, they already ‘won’ the court case on bank charges…

A couple of comments on Wales, if I may. In my view Plaid has to make up its mind what it wants. Until very recent times independence was all. They never explained where benefit payments for the population would come from. A recent article in the western mail stated that 43% of the working population of south wales works for the state. Already the assembly is contemplating means testing the free pensioner bus pass.

Since devolution, independence seems to have been dropped; now a one team tug of war has developed. Take what you can from England but whine half hearted calls for `more powers’ at the same time. Seems to be a case of have your cake and eat it.

Personally, to seperate us from England in the true sense would be a disaster and the meddlers who encouraged it would very quickly be in their holiday homes in the sun well away from the chaos.

Well if tories get into power, I would prefer some distance and relying on the EU (and maybe closer ties with Scotland) more than Westminster. But yes it will be a reckoning for Plaid who will have to decide are they Welsh conservatives or socialists in Wales.